Raring to go? A cross-sectional survey of student paramedics on how well they perceive their UK pre-registration course to be preparing them to manage suspected seizures

BMC Emergency Medicine

Research

Anthony G. Marson¹  Pete Dixon²  Cerys Broadbent³  Hesham Ibrahim³  Lucy Almond³  Adam J. Noble⁴  Carolyn Lees⁵  Kay Hughes⁶ 

[1] Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK;Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK;Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK;Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Ground Floor, Whelan Building, L69 3GL, Liverpool, UK;School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK;School of Public and Allied Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK;

关键词: Paramedics;    Emergency medical services;    Ambulance;    Seizures;    Epilepsy;    Students;    Decision making;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12873-023-00889-5

 received in 2023-05-31, accepted in 2023-09-25,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundParamedics convey a high proportion of seizure patients with no clinical need to emergency departments (EDs). In a landmark study, only 27% of UK paramedics reported being “Very…”/ “Extremely confident” making seizure conveyance decisions. Improved pre-registration education on seizures for paramedics is proposed. Clarity is needed on its potential given recent changes to how UK paramedics train (namely, degree, rather than brief vocational course). This study sought to describe UK student paramedics’ perceived readiness to manage seizures and educational needs; compare this to what they report for other presentations; and, explore subgroup differences.MethodsSix hundred thirty-eight students, in year 2 or beyond of their pre-registration programme completed a cross-sectional survey. They rated perceived confidence, knowledge, ability to care for, and educational needs for seizures, breathing problems and, headache. Primary measure was conveyance decision confidence.ResultsFor seizures, 45.3% (95% CI 41.4–49.2) said they were “Very…”/“Extremely confident” to make conveyance decisions. This was similar to breathing problems, but higher than for headache (25.9%, 95% CI 22.6–29.5). Two hundred and thirty-nine participants (37.9%, 95% CI 34.1–41.8) said more seizure education was required – lower than for headache, but higher than for breathing problems. Subgroup differences included students on university-based programmes reporting more confidence for conveyance decisions than those completing degree level apprenticeships.ConclusionsStudent paramedics report relatively high perceived readiness for managing seizures. Magnitude of benefit from enhancements to pre-registration education may be more limited than anticipated. Additional factors need attention if a sizeable reduction to unnecessary conveyances for seizures is to happen.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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